Automotive retail group McCarthy Motor Holdings recently launched a Student Wheels programme, which offers used vehicles with less than 180 000 km on their odometers – and engine capacities smaller than 2,0-litres – for under R55 000.
Automotive retail group McCarthy Motor Holdings (MMH) recently launched a Student Wheels programme, which offers used vehicles with less than 180 000 km on their odometers – and engine capacities smaller than 2,0 litres – for under R55 000.
“The majority of the vehicles that are sold through the McCarthy Student Wheels outlets are sourced from other McCarthy dealerships across the country”, said MMH chairman Brand Pretorius. “No vehicle is sold before undergoing a range of quality checks and a thorough reconditioning process”.
The Student Wheels reconditioning process includes a complete check-up of a car’s engine. If the engine is in good condition, a major service is carried out; alternatively, the engine will be completely redone. The cars are then sent to a paint shop for touch-ups and polishing, and all safety items, including tyres and windscreens, are checked and replaced if necessary. The average reconditioning cost of the cars is approximately R6 000.
“If at any time during the reconditioning process we find a hidden fault that could later develop into a serious problem, which would affect either the car’s performance or the safety of the occupants, the reconditioning stops and the car is sold to private traders voetstoots,” said Student Wheels managing director, Dominique Lejeune.
All cars include AA roadworthy certification and a one-month warranty, and will be sold for under R55 000 unless a customer requests a later model. A Student Wheels mechanical breakdown warranty is also offered as an optional extra.
McCarthy Finance claims to have developed a special finance package for credit-worthy customers, through which parents can finance the car in their own name for their student children.
McCarthy’s opened the first Student Wheels outlet in Morningside, Durban three months ago, and a second dealership was opened in Umhlanga Rocks recently.
“Further expansion of the KwaZulu-Natal project will depend on the availability of suitable stock. The long-term plan is to have McCarthy Student Wheels outlets in all major metropolitan areas. The next is likely to be situated in Pretoria,” said Pretorius.